A new assistant principal has been named for the Thomson-McDuffie Junior High School. At their regular June meeting, the Board of Education approved Trevor Roberson for the position. Mr. Roberson will replace Cecil Strong, who was promoted in May to be principal of the new alternative school next year.

"I'm very excited about it," Mr. Roberson said, adding that he hopes to spread a passion for learning in the community.

"Things are changing with the state and the curriculum is getting pretty rigorous, now," he said. "But I know the kids can do it. It just calls for a lot of work."

Mr. Roberson has been an English teacher at Thomson High School for 10 years. Before that, he taught at Baldwin High School in Milledgeville. His wife, Valerie, also is an English teacher and department head at Jefferson County High School. The couple has three children: Hassan, 9, Lauren-Claire, 5, and Callen, 9 months.

"I don't usually think of myself in terms of accomplishments," Mr. Roberson admitted. "But I am the fifth generation in my family to be a school teacher."

In fact, he said one of his ancestors "came out of slavery knowing how to read and write, and he taught others, and we went from there." It is that rich family history that inspired him, as a former member of the Thomson-McDuffie Tourism Board, to be a part of a committee that created the African-American History audio tour through the county.

In a similar manner, he'd like to help people better understand the school system. Mr. Roberson said people accuse school officials of being antagonistic and many students think of them as being police officers, watching their every move."But the purpose of the school system is to educate the students so they can grow up and do what they want to in life instead of being forced to just survive," he said.